The present invention relates to a part made of plastics material or of glass, and more particularly but not exclusively a closure member for a makeup accessory or receptacle.
In the field of packaging cosmetics, it is known to make covers or caps out of transparent plastics materials that are colored in bulk or opaque, and possibly filled.
The invention seeks to obtain a novel appearance effect for a part having a front face, a rear face, and an outer face.
The invention achieves this by the part being made of a material that is not opaque, and by the rear face being made opaque at least in locations close to said outer face by means of a layer of an opaque coating of dark color in intimate contact with said non-opaque material, the location of the coating and its color being selected in such a manner as to enable light that enters via the outer face to create an effect of the light within the part and visible from its front face.
By means of the invention, it is possible in particular to obtain a halo effect on a part whose front face has a circular outline, which effect can be particularly attractive.
The shape of the part is selected in such a manner as to cause the halo effect to be visible over a peripheral zone of the front face that is no greater than the height of the outer face.
In a particular embodiment, the coating is present at locations selected on the part in such a manner that only light entering via the outer face or the edge of the rear face can pass through the part.
In a particular embodiment, it is a paint.
In a variant, it is a layer deposited by bi-injection of a material that is physically and chemically compatible with said non-opaque material.
This guarantees intimate contact between the coating and the non-opaque material and also the absence of air, which would interfere with obtaining the desired result.
The color of the coating is selected as a function of the color of the non-opaque material so as to obtain sufficient contrast to enable the desired optical effect to be observed.
The coating is for example black, thereby making it possible to avoid interfering reflections in the part and to obtain the required opaqueness while using only a thin layer of coating.
Preferably, the plastics material used is translucent.
Thus, light which penetrates into the part via its outer face is diffused as it passes through the part, thus favoring the obtention of an effect of the light in the part.
In a particular embodiment, the rear face is completely covered by said coating, e.g. paint is deposited by spraying.
Still in a particular embodiment, the part includes an inner housing opening out to its rear face.
When the part is a cover, such a housing can serve to receive a mirror.
The inner housing can be defined by a side surface and by a main surface, the side surface being preferably entirely covered without discontinuity by the opaque coating as is a margin of the bottom surface adjacent to said side surface.
This ensures that even when an opaque element such as a mirror is fitted against the main face, the clearance that exists between the mirror and the side surface of the inner housing does not allow any beam of light to pass which would spoil the appearance of the part.
The side surface of the inner housing can be cylindrical or substantially cylindrical, for example.
Preferably, the edge of the part which extends between the side surface of the inner housing and the outer face is covered without discontinuity over substantially its entire extent by the opaque coating used; this is even more preferable when the edge of the part is wide.
Still in a particular embodiment, the front face is outwardly slightly concave.
Advantageously, the front face and the outer face are covered in a layer of mat varnish that diffuses light and produces a soft feel effect.
The outer face can be at least particularly cylindrical or conical, or indeed substantially cylindrical and then conical, diverging forwards.
When the outer face flares forwards, the halo effect is reinforced by the thickness of the material decreasing on coming closer to the front edge.
The part can constitute all or a portion of a packaging device and when the part constitutes a closure member, it can include a hinge lug projecting from its rear face and integrally molded with the remainder of the part.
The invention also provides a closure member for a makeup accessory of receptacle, in particular for a skin-care product, the member having a top wall and a side skirt extending the periphery of said top wall downwards, said top wall defining a front face of circular outline, the side skirt co-operating with the margin of the top wall to define an outer face, the top wall and the side skirt defining a rear face, the top wall and the side skirt being made as a single piece by molding a translucent plastics material, the front face and the outer face being covered in a layer of mat varnish, the rear face being covered in a layer of dark-colored opaque paint without discontinuity over at least substantially the entire extend of the edge of the side skirt, over the inside surface of the side skirt, and over at least a portion of the inside surface of the top wall adjacent to the side skirt.